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Local farmers' frustration is growing faster than crops

Too much rain, too little heat delaying growing season in region; 'Everything's going to be delayed,' says local farmer
2019-05-22 Bryan Ego
At least the asparagus is ready. A cool and wet spring has posed challenges for area farmers, including Bryan Ego. Nathan Taylor/OrilliaMatters

Area farmers are trying to remain optimistic despite the challenges Mother Nature is throwing at them.

A cold and wet spring has them anxiously playing the waiting game.

“We can’t plant until the ground is warm,” said Bryan Ego, who owns a farm on Horseshoe Valley Road.

Ego typically starts planting in early to mid-April, so he’s almost a month behind on most of his crops.

Strawberries are big business for Ego. They’re in the ground, but they might be a few days late this year.

His asparagus is now ready, but it might be a while before he can get another of his money makers planted.

“Sweet corn needs a lot of heat and we just have not had that,” he said.

Up the road at Ego’s Nurseries, the plants and flowers are coming along well, but they’re grown in greenhouses and that has led to some more expensive heating bills given the cool temperatures.

While he waits, Ego is “confident everything will still grow this summer” at his Oro-Medonte farm.

“People just might have to wait an extra week or two for their favourite crop,” he said.

Trevor Hewitt is faced with the same challenges at his Severn Township farm, where sweet corn is his main focus.

“It’s been really slow, quite cold,” Hewitt said.

He has eight acres and has planted in only about five per cent of that space.

“There’s a good chance I’m not going to get it all in. It will be a shorter season,” he said. “Everything’s going to be delayed, harvest-wise and planting-wise. It’s going to affect yields.”

A lower yield means less business, but Hewitt has come to expect the unexpected when it comes to weather.

“You’re always concerned, but I’ve been doing this long enough that you learn every year’s going to be different,” he said.

He is hoping for the temperatures that are being forecast for the area.

“The next couple of weeks are looking a bit better, but they’re still calling for rain,” he said.

Over the next week, Environment Canada is forecasting temperatures between 16 and 20 degrees Celsius. The following week, temperatures are not expected to hit 20 C.


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Nathan Taylor

About the Author: Nathan Taylor

Nathan Taylor is the desk editor for Village Media's central Ontario news desk in Simcoe County and Newmarket.
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